I have been thinking about the Dalai Lama's remarks this past Saturday, regarding the practice of Dorje Shugden. I also did some background research on the matter, with particular emphasis on theincidents of murderous violence, and the techniques used in the various smear campaigns that accompany this controversy.

A hostile foreign intelligence service has within its arsenal a well-known battery of tactics and techniques. Chinese intelligence, in particular, is more than capable of fielding operations of subtle sophistication. They are some of the most darkly talented clandestine operators in the world, and of that I have absolutely no doubt.

When I examine the Dorje Shugden controversy in detail, I see that it has all the hallmarks of a put-up job. I am left with the conclusion that the Dorje Shugden affair is a Chinese clandestine service-run black operation designed to destroy His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and Buddhism as practiced in Tibet.

Actually, it is a classic of its type. They teach it in certain schools.

For Westerners, who may feel, rightly or wrongly, that they "don't have a dog in the fight," the matter should be very simple:

(1) On the one hand, we have some sectarian zealots who want to worship a hungry ghost.

(2) On the other hand, we have His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and the heads of every school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Who do you want to back? Who gets your vote? It really is that easy: either you side with the covertly managed ghost-worshippers, or you side with the Dalai Lama.

It makes me sick to my stomach when I see Westerners, dressed up like monks and nuns, protesting against the Dalai Lama in the name of some idiocy that doesn't belong to them. There's a real arrogance attached to this, wherein these people believe they "know better" simply because they invested themselves in something.

The Soviet clandestine operators used to have a name for dupes like this: govnoed, which freely translates as "shit eaters." How appropriate. These people are allowing themselves to be used by the Chinese intelligence services against the Dalai Lama and Buddhism, and they have convinced themselves they are doing the right thing. There are even some ostensibly Nyingmapa "personalities" invested in this, apparently unaware that Dorje Shugden's true believers have desecrated images of Padmasambhava and put Nyingma lamas to death by murderous plots.

If a Chinese assassin were to harm His Holiness, the backlash would be insurmountable. However, if they could promote an assassin from "within," legitimately or notionally "within," then that would satisfy their operational goals quite handsomely. Similarly, if an external agency launches criticism of Buddhism, that is one thing. But, if they can manufacture dissent, again seemingly from "within," then operational goals are well served.

How convenient to have a hot button issue. How convenient to have a slowly and carefully established track record of violence. How convenient to have exquisitely targeted smear campaigns. All it takes now is one fringe operator with something to prove, carefully nurtured by a clever handler.

The best way to guard against something terrible happening is by educating people to the threat, and then defusing the rhetoric by isolating the principal organs. We can identify them easily enough. They are running around in Germany quite a bit, and we also see them in the United States, in various guises. It is well within the capabilities of U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) to preselect these threats.

I think it is high time we take a bright light to these creeps.

It is also high time we understood that this is not a "Dalai Lama issue" per se: rather, he is the one with the moral courage to mention it in public. His comments this past Saturday were balanced and liberal: "If you want to practice Dorje Shugden, you are at liberty to do so, but if you do, don't take vows with me." That is very, very clearly stated.

"We Kagyu followers normally do not mention this name without fear. There is no Shugden practitioner among Kagyu followers. The reason why we fear the one I name just now, is because we believe that he causes obstacles to spiritual practice and brings discord in families and among the community of monks."

H.H. Mindolling Trichen Rinpoche, the late Head of the Nyingma Tradition:

"Shugden is a ghost. We Nyingma practitioner do not follow him. We propagate only those protectors that were bound by Padmasambhava. Shugden came after Padmasambhava. Shugden is a hungry ghost in the human realm."

H.H. Sakya Trizin, Head of the Sakya Tradition:

“In the beginning the Sakya throne holder Sakya Sönam Rinchen bound Shugden to protect Dharma. However, neither Shudgen nor other worldly spirits were depended upon during prayer meeting at Sakya. The statue of Shugden was in some shrine rooms but in the lowest category in the pantheon. No Sakya follower has ever taken life pledging empowerment through the medium of Shugden… Later Shugden worship decreased strongly among Sakyas due to the efforts of three leading Sakya lineage lamas” [including the root Guru of Sakya Trizin who was] “extremely unhappy with Shugden practice and advised on the demerits of Shugden practice. One of his disciples, Ngawang Yönten Gyatso, took strong actions to remove Shugden statues from the Sakya monasteries and to destroy them. Khyentse Dorje Chang Chökyi Lodrö was also very unhappy with Shugden practice, although he didn’t destroy statues, he performed rituals to banish Shugden. Since these three leading Sakya Lamas were against Shugden, this practice declined greatly among Sakya followers.”

H.H. the 100th Ganden Tripa, late Head of the Gelug Tradition:

[..] Gelug Lamas of the past would have taken notice of Shugden if he was really the embodiment of the three refuges. But there is no historical record to show that they took any interest in Shugden. Therefore I can not accept Shugden as the embodiment of the Three Refuges."

H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama quoting the 5th Dalai Lama:

"In his autobiography the 5th Dalai Lama writes that he performed a fire ritual against Shugden during which he composed a prayer to protect the deities. In the prayer the 5th Dalai Lama says that he is performing this ritual to vanquish Dorje Shugden who is harming the Buddhadharma and sentient beings. He clearly says that Dragpa Gyaltsen’s negative prayer resulted in his rebirth as Shugden."

This makes it clear that orthodox Tibetan Buddhism is united in its condemnation of Dorje Shugden. As His Holiness said this past Saturday, "only somebody with realization equal to the Fifth Dalai Lama should try to modify the Fifth Dalai Lama's words." Similarly, only somebody with realization equal to Tai Situ Rinpoche, Kyabje Mindrolling Trichen, Kyabje Sakya Trizin, Ganden Tripa, and the Fourteenth Dalai Lama should try to second-guess their words.

Our business is to practice the dharma according to the dharma. Our business is not to worship demons or ghosts. Neither is it our business to side with people who are out to harm the Dalai Lama or Buddhism, and we are certainly not about to let ourselves be used by the fun-loving lads from Old Shanghai's well-funded department store kiddie show.

Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama... and remember who to call...

46
reader comments:

Anonymous
said...

If we have to discuss him for whatever reason, we call him Valdemort. That way we don't give any recognition to him by reciting his name.

you (and His Holiness) have forgotten to mention that the Great 5th Dalai Lama later realized that he had been mistaken with respect to Duldzin Dorje Shugden. he then composed the first praise to Dorje Shugden as an enlightened Protector of Je Rinpoche's holy doctrine, made the first statue of Dorje Shugden with his own hands, and consecrated the Trode Khangsar temple in Lhasa to him.

perhaps the 14th Dalai Lama will, as he always says he tries to do, follow in the footsteps of the great 5th and realize his error shortly.

if you are unafraid of truth and discussion, please be honest enough to post this comment.

The truth is, you're not practicing dharma according to the dharma. What you are doing is involving yourself in something that is none of your business and utterly counterproductive, because the very fact of controversy feeds your own predisposition to negativity.

um, ok. but whatever you think of me, what about His Holiness' clear omission of these important facts regarding the 5th Dalai Lama's later realization of his error?

and speaking of knocking it off, the story you repeat here regarding Je Pabongkha destroying Guru Padmasambhava statues is impossible, as in his writings we find praise to Guru Padmasambhava as an enlightened being. also, which Lama is your zombie story above about, that you say was suppressed by the CTA? this smells very fishy indeed! be careful who you slander - holy beings have no malice and will never harm you, but the consequences of your own actions will come back to you.

Wow so you actually published that comment "zombie story" and all that? I never got a chance to see it! Must have provoked quite a reaction. I didn't really think you'd let it post...but now I see the comments.

For Atisha's cook, I have a question. If what you say is true about the 5th Dalai Lama, why don't you find me a Tibetan citation? I'm sure you don't read much Tibetan yourself, if any. But if you could find out, I'd be interested.

OF course I know you won't be able to find out, because there is no evidence whatsoever, not in the Vth Dalai Lama's writings, not anywhere for that matter.

The Vth Dalai Lama a Shugden practitioner? That's just yet another lie spread by the Great Lizard of the New Kadampa, pure and simple. It just goes to show you what a lot of dimwits his followers are. They'll believe anything.

All you New Kadampas can't quote any authority except, "My teacher said so". You can't read Tibetan language, and you don't read anything or think anything except what you're told. What a disgrace to the Gelug and Kadampa traditions, traditions that uphold scriptural study and reason, scriptural knowledge and direct realization together. If you had any credit to use the name Kadampa you would at least be able to argue coherently in favor of your views, instead of relying on ridiculous hearsay because you have no real knowledge to base your beliefs on. All you have is blind faith and you know it.

I think we should call the New Kadampas the New Crud-Dumpers. Because that's all you guys and girls ever dump on blogs and newsgroups--C.R.U.D. Cockamamie, Risible, Absurd Doo-doo.

The brakes are off on this one, because I was terribly moved by HHDL's remarks. I thought to myself, "Why does this immaculate being have to be annoyed by a bunch of murdering ankle-biters?" Why should this threat to his well-being be tolerated?

Lets get this out in the open and get it ventilated.

I'm already getting threats, so it is easy to see the sort we're dealing with.

perhaps my own reasoning is not sufficient, and i would never claim to be a scholar of the writings of the highest Tibetan Lamas (nor Buddhist teachings in general), but when i first heard of this 'controversy', in my mind there was none. either you listen to and respect the admonitions of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, as well as the head Lamas of virtually every Buddhist school and tradition in Tibet, or you've simply made up your own mind to believe what you choose to believe. i don't need to study or "find out the truth" for myself; i can be 'ignorant' if that is how it is, so long as those i call and consider my teachers (i.e.- H.H. Dalai Lama)-are giving me pure teachings out of compassion, for the benefit of all sentient beings including myself. thank you for posting this,i appreciate it.

I'm sorry that you feel the need to condemn people who you've never even met.

I'm sorry also that the Dalai Lama's words have incited you to do this - it's not the Buddhist way to show intolerance and aggression towards other people's beliefs.

I'm also sorry that you are receiving threats because this is also not the Buddhist way. The Dalai Lama speaks of love, compassion, tolerance and 'human values'. Why can we not respect each other and 'live and let live'? Shugden practitioners are not doing any harm and pose no threat to the Dalai Lama. why should anyone condemn another tradition of Buddhism just because you do not agree with their views?

Dear "Lineageholder" at IP 89.241.242.124, the DSL in the United Kingdom... the man asked you a question: what is the Tibetan citation that backs up your assertion in re the Dalai Lama V ? Since you are also posting as "Atisha's cook" from the same IP....

Does Special Branch keep watch on your naughty faces? I would sort of imagine they do...

Shugden "practitioners" pose an extreme threat to His Holiness. They brutally murdered a friend of his a few yards away from where he sleeps. They mount violent demonstrations, carrying ridiculous signs and banners, shouting nonsense, occupying the attention of security operatives who might otherwise be foiling a would-be assassin. They infect and incite rhetoric that appeals to the lunatic fringe. They promote China's political agenda and hasten the destruction of Tibetan culture.

i'm not Lineageholder and i doubt that we share the same IP because as far as i know no-one i share an internet connection has any real interest in writing on these forums other than me.

to answer "Anonymous", the 5th Dalai Lama's prayer can be found in Trijang Rinpoche's Dam can rgya mtsho dgyes pa'i rol mo.

to answer you, TENPA: those are shameful and baseless accusations. if any of it were true, then the police would, rightly, have acted and all these Shugden "murderers", terrorists and Chinese agents would be behind bars.

all this bile towards Shugden practitioners comes from one source and one source only: we have dared question His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and call him out on the serious mistake that he is making and the great division and suffering it has caused. can you really tell me that this is a crime? if you read the Kalama Sutra, then you'll see that Lord Buddha wouldn't agree with you on this, i think.

"If you are in his presence for even one second, that really is enough to understand."

ABSOLUTELY!!!

You'd understand even more if on the same day you see the blind, sick fanaticism of those shouting non-stop outside a venue where His Holiness is teaching true Dharma. You may also notice that they shout and shriek side by side with Chinese demonstrators.

Who’s Spying on the Dalai Lama? There was a lively discussion on the Tricycle blog earlier this year on the topic of electronic eavesdropping and hacking Tibetan websites by Chinese , wherein a Chinese agent posing as a Tibetan 'big hat person' practitioner residing in Canada is outed. Please see:http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1127

Also, for more 'big hat' or, if you prefer, 'Valdemort' debate see: Dorje Shugden: Deity or Demon?http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=741 Here NKT mouthpiece 'Lineageholder' reveals the fact there are millions and even billions of cultists, despite the shrinking population of Tibetans in exile, (somewhat less than 85,000 souls.)The point is, people can decide for themselves, NKT cult websites are numerous and never allow discussion and censor any posts that don't follow their ideology. As well they personally attack any 'dissenters' and publish their names but never their own given names or even their phony Tibetan names. Thanks Tenpa, someone has to tell the truth about this deviant cult.

Thank you! This site is perfect to show what would be in your mind. How do you feel? Liberated?

Specially the photo of venerable Geshe Kelsang... where does it come from? The mind of the author... nowhere else. Why? Because a wise advise? Just don't blame others again.

Don't be surprised if the Dalai Lama rejects you and your work. You know, he is having some problems because of people following him doing and talking too much. He sometimes looks tire of denying he is promoting this type of attitudes. Freedom of speech and belief do not seem good for him. Even his own followers don't help.

Don't give up. If you really try to help and make others happy, just practice Dharma... sincerely and purely :)

Dear anonymouse (no relation I assure you)Today we saw a display of what is in the mind of the Communist Party of China: massive military build up, tanks, intercontinental ballistic missiles, goose-stepping ultra nationalists, what does that remind you of? Does that make you happy?

We find it this mini-tragedy neutral, its only sad for WSS/NKT who are eclipsed by the sun of the truth and will now suffer the consequences of their foolish actions, particularly their deceptive speech. Sad? Darfur is sad, AIDS pandemic in Africa a bunch of anglo-saxon dressup dharma fascists, not so much in the scheme of things.

To be a more specific on this "sad" issue, please consider the following: From 1991 to 1995 Gelong Thubten Gyatso (a.k.a. Neil Elliot) was 'the chosen one' to succeed former Geshe Kelsang. He was known as the 'heart-disciple' of GKG, who wrote a long life prayer for him recited regularly at NKT centres. Thubten was later disrobed because of a 'breach of his monastic vows', a polite way of saying sexual abuse. Neil Elliot (Thubten) organized and attended the WSS demonstrations–the old man himself reassigned Elliot to 'special ops'. That is the smear campaign against Tibetans, their leaders and religion. Here is Elliot's view on NKT 'purity' and 'exclusivity': ""And we can say these days, previously you could find the practice of the Mahamudra outside this Tradition; other Traditions held this practice. But these days we can say definitely it doesn’t exist outside of our Tradition. Only this Tradition holds the lineage, the pure lineage, of the Vajrayana Mahamudra. So this is what we need to preserve, this is what we need to protect." So, one may well ask, what are Kagyu, Nyingma, Bon and Sakya: chopped liver? This statement from Elliot (once called "the power behind the throne') demonstrates the sectarian bias of the NKT fundamentalist cult . It is also clearly betrays their ignorance of even their "own" tradition–most Gelug texts derive their lineage directly from Lama Marpa –this is very evident if you read Tibetan or have ears in your head to hear chanting the lineage. Lobsang Drakpa himself was a student of Rangjung Dorje, the 3rd Karmapa. In conclusion, NKT is breathtakingly misinformed on the history of the transmission of Buddhadharma in Tibet and routinely mock the Rime view as confused, mixed up and inferior. What the transplant fundamentalism of Hare Krishna is to Hinduism, NKT is to Buddhism, it just doesn't amount to much. The NKT cult is careful to cloak their WSS political activities in secrecy, not to lose their charitable status in the UK and US, but their ongoing negative PR campaign is a self-discrediting exercise that has sealed their fate. I'm still not sad, NKT are losers.

@ Atisha's Cook. There is no self-correction by the 5th Dalai Lama as Shugden worshippers wrongly claim.

A researcher, von Brück, picked up that point, quoting Trijang Rinpoche's claim claim who quotes a hymn which the 5th Dalai Lama is said to have written in praise of Shugden (Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen):

"... your might and power is like lightning, you possess the courage and confidence to discriminate between right and wrong, I invite you faithfully, so come here to this place. ... You subdue various spirits of cremation grounds. I arrange varieties of outer, inner and secret offerings and tormas. I confess that previously due to my selfishness I could not leave this attitude of being so strict (against this spirit), but now I praise you humbly and respectfully with body, speech and mind ... may we always be protected by the triratna."

and the same researcher comments:

"The problem is that this position has no historical evidence, neither in the biography of the 5th Dalai Lama or elsewhere. It could be assumed that had the Dalai Lama known about any connection between Tsongkhapa (Nechung) and Shugden (Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen) he would have acted differently. Because of the very different position and rank of the two it is rather unlikely that the 5th Dalai Lama would have written such a hymn of self-correction."

The problem I see is that Shugden worshippers are full of claims which can't be verified by historical analysis, hence the same researcher points out correctly:

"We could go on quoting several oral traditions which are related by Trijang Rinpoche to establish and defend the Shugden tradition. Trijang wants to show that Nechung and Shugden do not clash or, in other terms, that there is no contradiction between the general protection of the whole of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and the specific protection of the Gelukpa school only. Looking into the history of the struggle between different schools in Tibet and judging from the heat of the present controversy there is more to say. It is clear that by historical evidence the authenticity of that tradition on Shugden cannot be decided."

Another researcher, Mills, states clearly that "most Gelukpa commentators place him [Shugden] as a worldly deity". see: Mills, Martin (2003) Identity, Ritual and State in Tibetan Buddhism – The Foundations of Authority in Gelukpa Monasticism, p. 366, Routledge

More details can be read in Dreyfus' excellent analysis: The Shuk-Den Affair: Origins of a Controversy http://dalailama.com/page.149.htm

BTW; I know Shugden worshipper don't like G. Dreyfus' Essay but he and his paper is fully accepted among Western scholars, and he also holds the highest Geshe degree, Geshe Lharampa, too, which he accomplished in only 15 years of study. He is the only Westerner who was able to achieve that. Presently he is a Professor at Williams College.

The only thing extreme Valdemort Worshippers have to offer to those papers and arguments are to reject all of the existing research and to perverse the facts by setting up own websites with 'The History of Dorje Shugden' written by people who are not even historians and lack any academic credits, like Rodney Billman aka as “Buddhist scholar Trinlay Kalsang”...

What a joke of of spinning the facts...

The Anti_Dalai Lama and pro_shugden Campaign is a really good PR stunt of NKT and Shugden followers for those who lack knowledge...

According to Pabongkapa's own claims the 5th Dalai Lama later installed a ritual after the 'angry demon' made a lot of trouble. I will add a quote from Lama Chime Radha Rinpoche from a lecture he gave on divination and oracles in Tibet.

It's quite interesting to observe that NKT members claim so happily DS is a Buddha while they completely neglect that Shugden is portrayed by the own teachers a vengeful or angry demon/spirit who had to be pacified (see e.g. Woijkowitz or Mumford who researched among Shugden followers).

I guess for most NKT members there is no problem because most of them seem to rely exclusively only on Kelsang Gyatso's books who does not mention what even is in Pabongkhapa's own writings, and contradicts his own claims.

However, the internet makes it possible, if not reading other's books, at least to hear other's point of view.

Here an excerpt of the lecture by Lama Chima Radha Rinpoche*:

"A Gelugpa account of the history of Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan is given in the collected works of Pha bon Khapa, according to whom the following events succeeded the suicide of Sprul-sku Grags-pa rgyal-mtshan. The remains of the dead, abbot were placed inside a stupa in his room. One month after his death, cries and screams were heard coming from this room, the walls and ceilings collapsed and the stupa fell over. A stream of white water flowed out of the room. Subsequently, many disasters occurred in the surrounding area of Central Tibet, with loss of life and property. The Dalai Lama and his chief monks made many attempts to placate the demonic spirit responsible for these calamities, who was discovered to be Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan, but all their efforts failed. So they enlisted the aid of the head of the Sakyapa school of Tibetan Buddhism, Sakya Sonam Rinchen, who performed fire pujas (rituals) and succeeded in subduing the angry demon. Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan appeared in the form of a monk with several eyes and, declaring himself to Sonam Rinchen, said, 'I am the destructive aspect of the Protector of the Gelugpas'. Having thus been overcome, Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan was first made a protector of the main Sakya monastery near the Dor-ja River in Central Tibet (perhaps identical with the Kyichu River mentioned in the Pe Har legend). Someone who stole the ritual ornaments of the protective deity from this monastery died shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances."

The strange claim of Pabonkhapa with respect to the Sakya Tradition he comments:

"In attributing Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan's submission to the head of the Sakyapas, Pha bon Khapa is perhaps accommodating history to Gelugpa susceptibilities and prejudices. Of the three older schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakyas are the most congenial to the Gelugpas in doctrine and practice, but the weight of historical evidence strongly indicates that it was in fact the head of the Nyingmapa school who had to be called in to vanquish Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan. Considerable research on this subject has been carried out by Dongthog, a Sakyapa lama now living in the U.S.A., and a copy of his findings is available at the British Library in London."

"Pha bon Khapa mentions other dire events that occurred in the period of Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan's destructive activity before he was converted into a protector of the Dharma. At Nam-je ta-tsong near Drepung, the shadow of a hand was seen by many people and was followed by the death or sickness of most of those to whom it appeared. Further deaths followed upon the apparition of a monk with the body of a man and the head of a donkey. Some monks and lamas died after being visited by Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan in the guise of a sick man seeking medical treatment. At this time, the Fifth Dalai Lama and his secretary, Rje-drun, were in meditation at the Potala palace and monastery in Lhasa. The Dalai Lama sent Rje-drun on a mission to visit Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan in the spirit world and deliver a letter to him. He conferred upon the secretary two supernatural gifts: the power of psychic vision to see demons, ghosts and spirits, and a magic hat which made the wearer invisible. After a daunting journey through the spirit world, Rje-drun reached the awesome and forbidding palace of Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan. His way was barred by two powerful Indian demons who refused him entry, but donning his magic hat he slipped past them unseen. Passing through the palace, he came upon a room containing a throne upon which sat the imposing figure of a monk wearing three ceremonial robes. This was the human form of the abbot of Drepung who had taken his own life and become possessed by the demonic spirit of Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan. Attendant spirits entered and, paying homage to their king, declared their intention of revenging themselves upon people for earlier wrongs that had been done to them. Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan gave them a handful of white mustard seed which, when they threw it towards the earth, fell from the sky in the form of huge hailstones which completely destroyed the harvest. Taking off his hat, Rje-drun revealed his presence and handed over to Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan the letter from the Dalai Lama. In graceful and conciliatory terms, this letter requested Rdo-Rje-Sugs-Ldan to be reconciled to the Gelugpa school and to become the divine protector of its teachings. Appeased, Rdo-Rie-Sugs-Ldan accepted this invitation and took up residence in a new temple built by the Fifth Dalai Lama near the Dorja River."

So be it true or not what Pabongkhapa claims, it is clear that Shugden was by himself explained to be a demonic force which had to be tamed by other. This is very interesting - and of course contradictory - in the light of the claims of his enlightened status. However, those who claim Shugden is a demon or a spirit are just repeating what Pabongkhapa explained himself, aren't they?

Who is the Western Shugden Society?Why are they aggressively protesting against the Dalai Lama?Why are they calling the Dalai Lama a saffron robed Muslim and a Buddhist dictator?

After my personal experience with the WSS I can verify that the NKT are largely behind these demonstrations and hide behind the Western Shugden Society so as to escape the negative press, but here are a few points to consider.

That the Western Shugden Society was probably funded by the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT), an UK charity trust, is indicated by these signs:

Press speaker: Kelsang Pema - personal assistant to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso for more than 8 yearsFront man and leader in the USA: Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab - Deputy Spiritual Director of the NKTFront woman and leader in USA: Gen Kelsang Dekyong - National Spiritual Director of NKT USAFront man and leader in Germany: Gen Kelsang Ananda - National Spiritual Director of NKT GermanyLeader in Australia: Gen Kelsang Rabten - National Spiritual Director of NKT AustraliaGeshe Kelsang Gyatso has asked all his students by email to participate the protests. Among other things he wrote in one of his emails: “[...] To stop this evil action, as the representative of the Western Shugden Society, I personally will organise demonstrations against the Dalai Lama directly. I requested Kelsang Pema and Kelsang Thubchen to do this job for me and they have accepted. Please help Pema and Thubchen with whatever they need. With much love and prayers, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso”. (see Buddhism under assault)Lucy James (USA), official editor of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s books and Resident Teacher for several NKT centers, who did not encourage her students thoroughly enough, was immediately removed by Geshe Kelsang from her position as a NKT resident teacher. So there seems to be pressure to local NKT resident teachers to convince their members to go to the protests.The identity of the website of the Western Shugden Society is made hidden via proxy server (Domains by Proxy), however some media data in the files refer to “Tharpa”, a NKT enterprise, which publishes only Geshe Kelsang Gyatso’s books, and to a translator of Kelsang Gyatso’s books in Spain.The past media campaign of the New Kadampa Tradition (1996-1998) against the Dalai Lama was performed under the label Shugden Supporters Community (SSC) and NKT tried likewise to hide their identity.Is waving your hands in the air calling the Dalai Lama a hypocrite and a lier the sort of thing you would expect from pure Kadampas?

Dorjee shugden case is tibetan problem.. we tibetans are now in exile and homeless,we need to unite among all sects.So HH Dalai lama choose the way of Rime way...!!

Phabong ka was great lama no doubt but you guys only read books or articles about him....I have heard stories about Phabong ka cruelty during his stay in Tashilhunpo during absence of 9th panchen lama.The personwho told me the stories was once monk of Tashilhunpo and still alive in india( 80s)..Phabong ka one day giving initiation in Tashilhunpo,his sycophancy brings some Nagpas captured from nearby Ritod(mountain caves) in front of throne .Nagpas were are looking frightened and trembling with fear.Phabong ka.order them to follow"Mig tse ma" prayers n future..!!i heard this stories from this old person many times.........phabong ka was very power full lama ...!!

Um, you people realize that these deities are supposed to be recognized as the spontaneous play of your own mind, with no basis in reality, right? Essentially HH has banned a bunch of people from having a different imaginary friend from Him. Some people really like this particular imaginary friend. Seems like a pretty crap reason to split up a statistically significant portion of the exile community.

I just have 3 letters for you all.C I Aif anyone is being manipulated by sinister, foreign government forces its His Holiness. It is very well documented that he and his administration have been funded for years by the CIA. They don't give money for nothing you know!!!I doubt this will make it to the blog but just trying to balance things out a little :-)

Having been around the NKT many years ago and kept a keen eye on it since, I am dissappointed to see all the rhetoric surrounding these issues. demonising geshe kelsang is no more valid than nkt demonising the dalai lama, which I have witnessed. If indeed what the 5th dalai lama said is valid then maybe this distraction from the real essence of dharma and its practice is evidence of that. Nkt cannot seperate itself from main stream Gelugpa tradition without being political and is foolish to deny it.From what I have seen of the world, CIA etc etc has a lookin or heads up on every world event. We would be sensible to be mindful of the fact that this is all samsara and this to me seems to be a major schism with the sangha as a whole. No school or tradition is Buddism per se. We are all Buddists and should probably spend less time distracting ourselves with these wordly and harmful thoughts and quietly go about our own business. May all sentient beings be free from suffering. Simon UK

My dear sangha, one question: isn't all this controversy a little too dualistic? Where has the idea of the three poisons, attachment, REJECTION, and ignorance, gone? How does the story of the holy man realizing that all the evil spirits in the cave were his own projections apply to this? How can such a great contradiction with the whole body of the Buddha's teachings be invisible to us? This is such a silly issue, that it is awesome to see that it involves so many eminent people. I am not amazed anyway. Formal institutions tend to do this to the spiritual path.

please be happy the dorje shugden will live with or without the 14th dalai lamas blessing so better be bless and be happy please be happy work hard your fingers to almost the bone , oount your blessings, easy for me to say im not starving , im not trapped in samsaric actions i choose to be here easy for me to check out of this hotel no problem. now there are 7.5 bullion of us people some sixty years ago just 3 billion please just be happy play music lay bricks make bricks thread pearls help everyone the best you can every day then our family will be better off tomorrow , Andrew student of Lau Tse , Zopa , Jesus, chem tulku, Dsonsar rinpoche, lam rim the sutras and the

Just to follow up, Tsem Tulku has come out as a Dolgyal supporter. He has been behind the nasty cult website for almost a decade and now openly sells plastic king demon statues and other overpriced rubbish online.

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